In one known sealing system of this type (shown in German utility model DE 295 09 880 U1, FIG.7) elastomer sealing lips are injected only onto free longitudinal edges of the legs of the reinforcement which is injection molded from plastics material. The sealing lips are in sealing contact on the one hand permanently with the material of a folding soft top and on the other hand, upon closure of a window, with the lateral surfaces of the window glass. A terminating closure of this sealing profile at the end face is not apparent.
From published German patent application DE 43 20 330 A1, FIG.2, there is known per se a sealing system which is closable by a snap connection and whose reinforcement can consist of metal or plastics material. The sealing system extends linearly in the installed state (FIG. 1) and is manufactured by coextrusion and then cut to length. The cutting to length contaminates the end-face ends which must then be expensively cleaned before they are made ready to be fitted.
In German Patent DE 36 44 283 C1 the ball socket and the complementary ball-shaped end piece are not formed on the open end-faces of the opposing sealing sections. On the contrary, these parts are connected to the sealing sections by adhesive or by vulcanization. These methods of connection require an additional, economically disadvantageous working step.
From German Patent DE 43 44 373 C1 it is known per se, for a convertible soft top, to provide hollow profiled seals which follow each other in succession, each with so-called sealing heads on the opposing end faces. In the closed state of the folding roof or soft top respective adjacent sealing heads contact one another sealingly with compressive force. According to column 4, lines 29 to 31, the sealing heads are each formed on the end-face ends of the hollow profiled seals. In the description it is not apparent however how this forming should take place. Clearly, for the hollow profiled seals, one is talking here about extruded profiles which after the forming of the sealing heads are deformed and fitted only two dimensionally. This deformation takes place in a further, additional working step such that the hollow profiled seals are "latched" into a metallic sealing rail, as is evident from the details of FIG.5. The metallic sealing rail is mounted beforehand on the roof shell or on a roof frame part with fastening members in a separate fitting process.
From published European application EP 0 521 611 A1 it is known per se initially to mount a metallic retaining profile on the roof frame of the motor vehicle in a manner which is not shown in detail. Subsequently, an extruded sealing profile is "latched" into the retaining rail. In the case of a convertible as shown in FIG.3, the individual sections of the sealing system are each provided with a foam rubber cap on the end faces which face one another. Adjacent foam rubber caps are pressed sealingly against one another when the soft top is closed (FIG.3). In the application it is not evidence how the foam rubber caps are mounted on the sealing profile.
From published French application FR 2 613 414 A1 it is known per se to manufacture a comparatively hard insert profile separately and to latch this to the sealing profile in a separate working step. The combination profile which is thus made is subsequently connected to the bodywork by means of fastening members.
In published German patent publication DE 40 38 694 A1, specially shaped end pieces are vulcanized on to tubular sections. However, the end pieces do not sealingly close off the end faces of the tubular sections in the sense of an end cap. On the contrary, the internal chamber of each tubular section issues at the end face of the associated end piece.